Volvo penta sd120 saildrive

[fontmell]

Hi
The shaft and seals on above were changed about 25 months 250 hours ago. I see the oil is now cloudy .
My question is how long should the prop shaft seals last and is there anything else I am missing
Thanks

 

[wiggy]

Mine is about 5 years old and showing no signs leaking

 

[yotter]

Mine is about 5 years old and showing no signs leaking

I changed new seals and fitted sleaves on the shaft (there were slight groves) around 5 years and 350 hours ago all still good.

 

[Yngmar]

We haul out every 2-3 years and change them then. Never had a problem. You can get unlucky though if you don't have a ropecutter and get some rope or fishing line round the shaft - that can instantly destroy at least the outer seal, sometimes damage both.

Also, if your shaft has worn down (grooves where the seal lips sit), the seals won't be as tight and eventually leak). Don't have to replace the shaft, you can just sleeve it (SKF Speedi Sleeve). Some just move the seals around so the lips sit elsewhere on the shaft. I've sleeved ours about 2.5 years ago (not leaking yet).

 

[eilerts]

Could also be the drain plug gasket, or an internal leak at the gasket between the upper unit and the leg.
Is the problem new, or an old one, and the reason for the shaft and seal change?

 

[Daydream believer]

I would suggest checking the washer to the drain screw is the correct one. I made the mistake once & that caused all sorts of problems when i was on holiday resulting in a haulout in Cherbourg.
As for seal change- I change them when I remove the drive for the main hull seal every 7 years, & that averages nearly 1800 hours.( covid excepted)
I have had numerous (average at least 5-8 per year) things caught in the prop & been hauled out once but had to dive twice. For nets & polythene sheet. All the others have been cleared by the rope cutter. I do not believe any of these has caused a problem to the seals. The saildrive has had a severe shaking sometimes.

 

[sailaboutvic]

Hi
The shaft and seals on above were changed about 25 months 250 hours ago. I see the oil is now cloudy .
My question is how long should the prop shaft seals last and is there anything else I am missing
Thanks

It known for people to contaminate oil change the seal but not flush the drive so within time the oil can look milky .
Putting that to one side as Yngmar said changing the seals when the shaft has score marks and doing nothing to deal with the score mark is a waste of time and money and in a very short time the seals will leak .
I used speedy sleeves and they work very well , you can buy them from simply bearing.
what some people have done to over come the problem is , add a header tank by removing the dip stick and insert a pipe from the tank into the dip stick hole ,

 

[Daydream believer]

It known for people to contaminate oil change the seal but not flush the drive so within time the oil can look milky .
Putting that to one side as Yngmar said changing the seals when the shaft has score marks and doing nothing to deal with the score mark is a waste of time and money and in a very short time the seals will leak .
I used speedy sleeves and they work very well , you can buy them from simply bearing.
what some people have done to over come the problem is , add a header tank by removing the dip stick and insert a pipe from the tank into the dip stick hole ,

I do not understand how one could remove the shaft without releasing the oil; but having never tried it I must be mistaken.

But I am still confused. What purpose does adding a header tank serve? How does that prevent water entering the saildrive?

Incidentally, the dipstick hole is about 20mm diam so it would need a machined plug to take a pipe screwed in first, Then somewhere to mount the header tank. All of which sounds a bit "extreme" to say the least.

 

[sailaboutvic]

I do not understand how one could remove the shaft without releasing the oil; but having never tried it I must be mistaken.

But I am still confused. What purpose does adding a header tank serve? How does that prevent water entering the saildrive?

Incidentally, the dipstick hole is about 20mm diam so it would need a machined plug to take a pipe screwed in first, Then somewhere to mount the header tank. All of which sounds a bit "extreme" to say the least.

I try and explain .The header tank need to be as high as possible, filling it full make the pressure from the oil higher then the water pressure ,
which help to keep the water out .
You can buy a plug to fit the dip stick hole or as you said have one made
This is nothing new many have used it .

I'm not sure what you mean by removing the shaft without releasing the oil , need to read back what I posted .

 

[sailaboutvic]

I do not understand how one could remove the shaft without releasing the oil; but having never tried it I must be mistaken.

But I am still confused. What purpose does adding a header tank serve? How does that prevent water entering the saildrive?

Incidentally, the dipstick hole is about 20mm diam so it would need a machined plug to take a pipe screwed in first, Then somewhere to mount the header tank. All of which sounds a bit "extreme" to say the least.

This must be what your referring to .

" It known for people to contaminate oil change the seal but not flush the drive so within time the oil can look milky ."

Sorry worked badly . What I mean was after draining the milky oil not fhushing out the saildrive before topping up with clean oil.

 

[sailaboutvic]

@ Dayream Belivever

 

[Daydream believer]

Thanks for enlightening me
Somehow, I think that I would stick with just changing the seals.

 

[sailaboutvic]

Thanks for enlightening me
Somehow, I think that I would stick with just changing the seals.

Cool no problem , after having to hualout twice in one season , once a fishing line then a sack, each time damaging the water seal I was about to fit a header tank my self then we started talking about selling up so I never bothered, we now have a shaft but if I did have another saildrive I would consider do so.

 

[Daydream believer]

Well when you do. I can sell you a new rope cutter, similar to an ambassador, that fits a 120 saildrive at a considerably cheaper price than Ambassador etc

 

[sailaboutvic]

Well when you do. I can sell you a new rope cutter, similar to an ambassador, that fits a 120 saildrive at a considerably cheaper price than Ambassador etc

WHAT £5 I have three please
My problem wasn't that they got caught , diving soon removed them , it was that the line and bits of the sack was drawn into the seal .
Good possibility the same may had happen it I had a cutting .
The headed tank would had ment I wouldnt needed to be hauled out.
Although it sound complicated , all it take is something like a car windscreen washer bottle and a pipe , job done.
As you said not for you but others might find it useful.